


Snapshot

by Raine_Wynd



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Episode Tag, Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-03
Updated: 2011-07-03
Packaged: 2017-10-20 23:45:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/218404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raine_Wynd/pseuds/Raine_Wynd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny and Grace, in the kind of setting a father remembers always.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snapshot

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Sam Johnsson for the alpha-read. Post-ep.

Grace tries hard not to bounce, to act like the little lady her mother tells her she has to be when she's in public. It's hard to resist the urge, though: her father rarely makes her dress up for dinner, not like her mother and Stan do. Even though her mother made a fuss over her wearing her favorite pink floral dress *again*, Grace doesn't care. It's her favorite dress, she's wearing her pretty pink shoes, and she is hand-in-hand with her father as they walk into the restaurant. Tonight, she is her daddy's date, his little princess, and after overhearing how her mother and daddy argued about whether or not she could even go out, she feels grateful that her father won. She's old enough to understand that what happened in the car was bad, that the guns she saw were aimed at her and her mom, but it's been a few days and all she wants now is to know that Danno still loves her.

Danny smiled, quietly relieved at his daughter's enthusiasm. He'd been worried that she wouldn't bounce back – the phrase "very quiet and mature for her age" bothered him deeply; he remembered how she had been so vibrant, so eager to explore everything, back before the arguing and the divorce and the stupid-ass games about who loves who more. Feeling like he was king of the world, Danny strode confidently into the restaurant, mindful that his daughter didn't quite have his stride length yet, though he had a suspicion she would wind up being taller than he was.

"We're going to sit at the bar," he told her when she tried to pull him in the direction of the tables along one side of the narrow restaurant.

"The bar?" Grace looked wide-eyed.

Danny smiled. "Sure, monkey, we can do that here." It wasn't that far to the row of bar stools. "Do you need a hand up?"

Grace studied the stool a moment, then shook her head. "I'm not a baby," she said, and proved it by moving the stool back, then carefully used the rungs and the bar ledge itself so that she wound up sitting properly, with her skirt tucked under her. "Would you please push it back, Daddy?"

"Anytime for my little lady," he told her, knowing it would win him that "I am a pretty princess" smile he loved.

"Good afternoon," an older, grandmother-type Japanese woman greeted them, her accent coloring her words. Expertly, she laid down a menu next to Danny's right hand, and set down a kid's menu with a plastic cup full of partially-used crayons next to Grace's left hand. "What would you like to drink?"

"Green tea, but could you put it on ice and get my daughter a straw? And I'll have a beer – you have Sapparo?"

The woman blinked, momentarily disconcerted by Danny's own accent. Rewinding what he'd said, Danny realized he'd gotten his Jersey accent back; talking with his parents that morning had left its mark. "Sapparo, the Japanese draft beer?" he prompted, speaking more slowly.

"Ah, yes, of course. Would you like miso?"

"The soup? Yes, as long as it's not in the beer," he told her.

"Daddy, I don't want miso," Grace piped up.

Looking at her, Danny asked, "Why not?"

She scrunched up her face. "I don't. Mommy made me eat it and I didn't like it."

"Okay then," Danny agreed readily. Turning to the waitress, he told her, "Make that one miso soup, and do you want the same thing you had last time, monkey?"

Grace shook her head. "No, that was boring."

"Boring?" Danny laughed, shaking his head.

"I'll be back," the waitress interjected, taking her cue.

"You know there are little girls out there who've never had sushi?"

Grace nodded. "They're not lucky like me."

Danny groaned. "Spoiled, that's what you are," he teased her gently. Seeing Grace was studying the menu she'd been given, he glanced over to see what the choices were. He'd never been to this particular sushi restaurant before, but he'd developed a taste for sushi thanks to his late partner, who loved introducing him to things a Jersey boy would never have tasted. Even so, Danny was still not too keen on expanding beyond what was on any given chef's sushi sampler platter, and given the choice, he'd pick a tempura-based or otherwise fully-cooked roll over a completely raw one. He knew, too, that Grace wouldn't be able to tolerate anything raw until she was a bit older, and he was relieved to see that her choices were all cooked items.

"I want the salmon teriyaki," Grace announced. "Salmon's good for you, but I don't want a lot of sauce on it."

"Okay, you tell the waitress that when she comes back."

"I can do my own order?"

"Yes, monkey."

Grace bounced. "I like going out with you, Danno. Stan always orders for me, and Mommy doesn't always tell him I don't like it."

"He doesn't know you like I do," Danny assured her swiftly.

"I think she tells the waitress when she goes to the bathroom, though," Grace volunteered. "To change it, I mean. Not when she goes to the bathroom. I get what I wanted, though."

Danny suppressed a laugh, but barely. The viciously triumphant part of him, the one he didn't always admit to having, celebrated the fact that his daughter's stepfather didn't know Grace's preferences, and at the rate Stan was going, probably wouldn't ever really know. To deflect his mind off that thought, he focused on opening the thick menu and figuring out his choices.

It wasn't long before the waitress returned with their drinks and the soup for Danny. After asking the waitress to clarify one of the rolls he'd selected, he let Grace order what she wanted, and then placed his order. He started to eat his soup when he abruptly became aware of his daughter staring at him.

"What, monkey?"

"That doesn’t look like the same thing Mommy made me try."

"Want a taste?" At her nod, he picked up the soup spoon he'd been given and, after dishing out a small spoonful, he blew on it. "Careful, it's hot," he warned as he assisted Grace in tasting it.

Grace frowned after she swallowed a bit of the broth. "No, that's the same thing, but it's better."

"Same thing but better, huh?"

Grace nodded.

"Maybe you'll like it."

Grace looked at him. "Maybe I need another taste."

"Maybe I haven't forgotten you learned to play poker way, way too well," Danny teased her.

"Daddy!"

Danny just laughed. "You're not getting out of this one. Besides, if you eat my soup, then you won't have room for your dinner."

"But I still don't know if I like that one," Grace protested.

Danny held firm despite his daughter's puppy-dog look. "You eat this, and then you won't have room for dessert," he reminded her.

"But Daddy," Grace whined.

"No, Grace," Danny said firmly. There were times when he hated disciplining his daughter; this was one of them. "Remember how you were telling me that Mrs. King at school was telling you how you shouldn't eat too much?"

"Yeah," Grace dragged out the word. "But I'm young and growing!"

"But you want to have dessert, don't you? You said you promised Kamekona you'd say hi today."

Grace pouted, but her bad didn't stay long as the sushi chef behind the counter began to prepare a dish. Fascinated, she tugged on her father's sleeve. "Daddy, what is he making?"

Danny didn't have a clue. "Someone's dinner."

Grace rolled her eyes. "I know that," she said. "But what?"

Danny bit back a sigh. "Excuse me," he said to the chef, "but my daughter wants to know what you're making."

The young Japanese man smiled easily. "Mango paradise roll. Shrimp, tuna, mango and avocado, with masago and tempura flake," he said. Apologetically, he added, "The only thing that's cooked is the shrimp."

Grace bounced. "I like mango."

"Sweetie, you can't eat raw shrimp or tuna, not yet," Danny told her firmly.

Grace pouted. "When can I?"

"When you're older."

"How much older?"

"We'll see, okay? Your mom and I have to discuss it."

Grace sulked, but then the sushi chef winked at her. "If it's okay with your dad, I'd like to give you a present," he said.

"What?" Danny asked.

"Sweet rice balls made with a bean paste. Turns the outside purple."

Danny mulled it over for a moment, then nodded. "Not too many."

The chef smiled. "Of course." Reaching for a covered steam tray, he produced two small purple balls and put them on a small tray. Leaning over the food case, he handed them to Danny. "One for each of you."

"Here you go, Grace." Danny gave her one of the bite-size treats, and she studied it a moment.

"It's purple, Danno! I don’t want to eat it because it's too pretty."

"Okay, so you can save it for dessert."

"But I might be full."

"Then take a small bite."

"No, you do it."

Resigned to this game, aware that sometimes Grace wouldn't try things until he did, Danny took a careful bite of his rice ball. Surprised at the flavor, which he couldn't decide whether or not he liked, he took another bite to decide.

Grace watched him with all the intensity of her age. "Is it good, Daddy?"

"It's sweet," Danny decided. "And very purple."

Pleased at the declaration, Grace took a bite of her own rice ball, then chewed carefully before swallowing. "I want to eat more," she declared. "I never knew purple tasted like that."

"Not all purple things taste that way," Danny hastened to inform her.

"But they could!"

Laughing softly, Danny agreed with his daughter, even as he stored the snapshot of that moment in his memory, to treasure forever.


End file.
